The Portland daily press., 1887-01-15
FISHERMEN, AHoYl
Convention to be Held In Gloucester
for Protection of Fisheries.
All the interests in the United States
to be Consolidated
The Right to Enter Ports, "vesseIs
Engaged" and "the Outlook"

Engaged" and "the Outlook"
GLOUCESTER, Mass. Jan. 14.-W. A. VIII
cox, manager of the American fish bureau,
and George Steele, president of the American
Fishery Union, arrived home today from
New York. A convention of all the branches
Of the fisheries in this country will be held
in Gloucester, February 20. The last census
gave 13l ,426 sea fishermen afloat in 6,GO5 yes
vessels, representing S390OO,OOO.
AT the meeting in New York much interest
and enthusiasm was manifested, and the
coming gathering Of men interested in the
fishery business win be long stride toward
the advancement of this industry.
Facts for Fishermen.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.-Fish Commits
sioner Baird has compiled reply to Seere-
tary Manning's request for information
regarding the vessel fisheries of New Eng
land and of British North America as
follows
MACKEREL.
QUESTION 2-What are the descriptions of
the fish-in consequence Of the present habits
VI lic Lou, tlC plCocll ucLuOuS VI CdLculQE,
drying, curing and reservation-American
fishermen desire to take either in the juris-
diction of waters of British North America
or in the open sea or open bays near the
British colonial possessions?
ANswER-The mackerel is the only species
of any Importance visiting provincial waters
which American fishermen at present desire
to catch within three miles of the Shore or
indeed within much greater distance. This
is practically the only provincial shore fish
cry in which our fishermen have had any
considerable interest since the ratification Of
the treaty Of Washington, as the great ma
Jority of our vessels employed in other fish,
cries on the banks off the provincial coast
seldom fish nearer than twenty-five or thirty
miles from land, and majority Of them
secure their carg0eS from one to two hundred
miles from shore. At the present time the
advantage to be derived from any privilege
of fishing within three miles of the Canadian
coasts even for mackerel is comparatively in
significant
RIGHT TO ENTER PORTS.
QUEs. SIN the method of fishing on that
open sea, or in those open bays, of preserv-
ing the catch and sending it to our ports for
market now desirable for our American
fishermen, of what importance is the right to
enter, in commercial way, British colonial
ports in the neighborhood?
ANSWER THE only occasion that vessels
would have for entering the harbor, due to
the methods Of preserving fish, would be for
the purpose of obtaining either salt, barrels
or ice. The privilege Of landing cargoes of
fish at provincial ports for shipment to the
United States is of considerable Importance
to vessels engaged in the mackerel fishery
but of little value to those employed
in the capture of other species. Vessels are
thus enabled to land fish for shipment and to
Immediately resume their fishing operations,
thus saving the two to four weeks necessary
for making the homeward and return passa-
ges, but with the privilege of trans-shipping
cargoes should be coupled that Of refitting at
the port where the fish are landed, other
wise the vessel might be short Of provisions
or apparatus, which would render it impos-
sible for it to continue its fishing operations
A few Of the vessel owners in Gloucester
have long maintained that the time lost in
going to and from provincial ports to secure
bait, and the temporary Generalization Of
the crews resulting from visit to these
ports more than Offset any advantages that
are to be derived by the use of fresh bait,
and urge that salt bait would be found on
the whole. more profitable; but as a consid-
cradle percentage of the men employed ON
the vessels have families or relatives in the
Provinces, they have continued to urge upon
the owners the necessity of obtaining bait in
these localities.
COAST FISHING.
QUESTION 4.-The same question in regard
to the fishing on the permitted coasts, and
the commercial entry in the prohibited bays
and harbOrs, but not for fishing
ANswER.-There is at present compare
lively little fishing by American vessels on
that portion Of the coast to which free access
is given by the treaty of 1918, but vessels
fishing in that vicinity should have the same
privileges in other ports as are accorded to
other vessels, as it would seem unwise to dis
criminate. and it would. perhaps, owing to
the few settlements of any importance on
the permitted coast, be more convenient for
the vessels to enter other ports in the prohib-
tied districts to purchase the necessary arti-
site direction where there might be any un-
certainty of securing them.
FISHING VESSELS.
QUESTION s.-What is your estimate of the
total tonnage of American vessels and the
number of fishermen thereon engaged in the
Canadian and North Atlantic fisheries in
1886, and the total value of their catch?
ANswER.-A careful estimate of the extent
ond Importance of our New England vessel
fisheries indicates that during the present
year there have been 1856 vessels, aggregat-
ing115, ,130 tons, with crews numbering II, 1886
men, employed in the various sea fisheries.
The feet is estimated to have been divided as
follows: 1880 vessels in the food fish fisheries
215 in the shell fish and lobster fisheries, 1T
il the capture of whales and seals, and 81 in
the menhaden fishery.
SCARCITY OF MAcKEREL.
QUESTION 6.-What change has, in your
view, come to American fisheries since the
last full year of the Washington Treaty in
regard to the character, quantity and general
features OF that industry?
ANswER.-During the year mackerel has
been peculiarly scarce in all localities,
though for the first time in eight or ten
years they have been more abundant in the
Gulf of ST. Lawrence than off the New Eng
land coast, and a large percentage of Ameri-
flA GCharV
tied that locality The catch has, as a rule,
been unusually small, but the price has in
creased in proportion, so that the season for
some of the vessels has not been wholly un-
profitable. The limited catch cannot in any
way be accounted for by the restrictions
placed upon our vessels within the three
mile limit, for their catch, as previously stat
ed, has been equal to that Of the Canadian
vessels that fished without restriction as to
distance from the shore.
BAIT.
QUESTION Your commission has, In its
annual reports, alluded to the diminished
necessity on the part OF American fisher
men to go to British North American ports
or waters for bait. What are the new fea-
lures of that necessity?
ANswER-A few years ago the United
States Fish Commission obtained from Nor
way a number of gill nets suitable for
catching Goldfish, and used them with sue
cess in the cod fisheries about Gloucester,
Mass. Similar nets are now made in this
country, and are extensively employed by
the shore cod-fshermen of that vicinity,
who obtain large catches by their use.
These fishermen formerly depended in large
part for their hait up on frozen herring
brought from New Brunswick and New
foundland. but where gill nets are used bait
is no longer required. Thus far, however,
gill nets have not been employed in the cap
ture of Goldfish on the more distant fishing
banks.
DECREASING IMPORTANCE.
QUESTION S-Yonr commission has also
alluded to inquiries presented by it in res
rect to the general value of the inshore Cana
dian waters to American fishermen, and the
yearly value OF the liberties given to Ameri-
can fishermen by the American treaty. Have
you ascertained new facts Of public interest
in that regard which you can conveniently
communicate to me?
ANswER-The decreased Importance to
American vessels of the inshOre Canadian
fisheries have resulted
~ From the increased size Of our vessels,
which did away with the necessity of fishing
close TO land, where harbor could be made
in cash Of storms, and of landing in the vi
cinlty OF the fishing grounds to dry their fish
before sailing for home.
seine for the hand lines in the capture OF
mackerel, which has necessitated the fishing
IN deeper water, and at greater distance
from shore; and
(9 From the change in the location Of the
mackerel fisheries, which has for the last
few years enabled our vessels to obtain full
carpopS in the vicinity of olir own enast in.